Paper clip



July 22, 1958 R. H. NYE

PAPER CLIP Filed Dec. 4, 1953 ITZZVE'Z'ZtUP Eascae l /ensceJ/ A196 United States Patent The present invention relates to retaining clips and,

more particularly, concerns the construction of a novel r wire paper clip capable of securely gripping a large number of paper sheets or the like.

I am, of course, aware that numerous paper clips have been described in prior art patents and manufactured for public consumption over a long period of years. These paper clips have, as is well known, reached a relatively high state of refinement and have taken innumerable design shapes. However, to my knowledge, all of the prior art structures of simple design have been designed to grasp effectively only small numbers of paper sheets or the like. Thus, while the prior art paper clips are ordinarily quite satisfactory when only a few thin sheets of material are to be retained together, they completely fail to accommodate large thicknesses of material in a satisfactory manner.

Heretofore, in situations requiring the retention of large numbers of sheets of paper, or the grasping of small numbers of relatively thick sheets, an expensive clamping means has been required. The extremely inexpensive wire type clip has been discarded as unsatisfactory since, in all of the known prior art structures, the spreading of the wire type clip to an extent sufficient to accommodate the thick sheets, causes the two clasping surfaces of the clip to form a V. This V-shape causes the application of an edgewise component of force on the sheets which not only causes a permanent warping of the sheets, or an indentation thereof, but also tends to force the sheets outwardly from between the upper and lower clip portions commonly used. Thus, the prior art clips not only disfigured the paper, but actually urged the paper outwardly from between the gripping members to such an extent that the clip became disengaged from the papers in a relatively short time and was com' pletely ineffectual for the retention of papers during the manipulation thereof.

The present invention, on the other hand, is constructed to utilize the extreme inexpensiveness of wire, while at the same time providing a paper clip capable of holding a large number of sheets, or alternatively, several relatively thick sheets of material in a firm, gripped condition even though the sheets are being manipulated in use. This desirable function is accomplished through the provision of a clip having a laterally extending, eyed, portion between the two grasping areas.

This eye portion is constructed in such a manner as to hold the sheets of paper at the extremity of the paper clip in a supported condition at a point opposite to the application of gripping force. Further, the structure ofthe present invention provides a concentric application of force such that the paper, or other similar gripped article, is supported on one side overa relatively large peripheral area and is urged against the support by the application of force on the opposite side at a point generally within the confines of the first support. This is accomplished through the provision of deformed end porvtions of the wires forming the paper clip and the deforma- "ice 2 tion of the main body of the clip itself so that the ends of the wire apply a pressure at substantially a single spot only, and that spot is generally centrallyof the opposing clip portion.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel paper clip capable of handling a large number of sheets of paper or the like, or alternatively, a pair of sheets only.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a paper clip capable of retaining a large thickness of fiat mateiial without applying a force tending to disengage the material from the clip.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a paper clip providing firm support for the gripped paper from a point adjacent the edge of the papers, but within the confines thereof to a point further away from the edges of the paper.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel wire paper clip having a first gripping portion for supporting one side of group of sheets and lying substanially parallel to the plane of said sheets, and a second spring cantilever portion for urging the opposite side of said sheets toward said first portion and being constructed to apply a component of force in the direction of the peripheral edge of said sheets, whereby said sheets are maintained in a positively gripped condition.

A feature of the present invention is the provision of a relatively large loop of wire material as a support for the application of a gripping force, and the positioning of said loop entirely within the pheripheral confines of the gripped sheets of material.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a paper clip having a substantially compressive force application in which the force is applied over a substantial area of the clipped material, whereby no permanent disfigurement or mutilation of the clipped material may occur.

Still other and further objects and features of the present invention willat once become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the attached drawing, in which embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustration only, and wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a paper clip constructed according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the paper clip shown in Figure 1, showing the containment therein of a large thickness of paper or the like;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the paper clip constructed according to the present invention, shown gripping sheets of paper, as in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a further elevational View of the paper clip constructed according to the present invention and confining only a thin group of sheets;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the lower graping portion of the clip constructed according to the present invention and taken along the line VV of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a modified form of the paper clip shown in Figures 1 through 5;

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the modified form of Figure 6, shown with a large thickness of paper or the like in clipped position therein; and

Figure 8 shows the method of using the paper clip of the ends 11 and 12 to bight or return bend eye portions 15 and 16 which extend substantially vertically downwardly a short distance and connect the portions 13 and 14 in spaced relation to inwardly extending lower extension portions 17 and 18, which in turn connect to the large split-ring-like loop 19. The paper clip is therefore pro vided with a pair of opposed spring clasp structures, of which the loop 19 provides one of the clasp structures and the arms 13 and 14, with their pressure formations 11 and 12, respectively, provide the other and coacting clasp structure.

In the modification shown in Figures 1 through 5, the loop 19 and the lower loop-attached portions 17 and 1 8, which are parts of the generally radially outwardly side-by-side projecting extensions from the loop, lie in substantially a single horizontal plane. For convenience sake, this plane will be termed a lower plane and the loop, or securing portion 19 will likewise be designated the lower securing or grasping portion or clasp structure. It is, however, to be understood that the nature of the article is such that in actual use the designations upper and.

lower would not have locating significance since the article may be used in any position.

The end portions of members 11 and 12 are, along with the intermediate outwardly extending portions 13 and 14 constructed to lie in a second, or upper plane which may, as seen in Figure 1, extend at an acute angle to the plane of the loop 19 such that the intersection of the planes would lie toward the inside, and between the inner extremity 19a and the disjointed extremities 19b, of the loop 19.

In use, the paper clip of the present invention is capable of clipping or securing a large number of sheets of material, and is limited in the thickness of material containable only by the length of the eye portions 15 and 16. Thus, as may be seen in Fig. 2, the sheets of material having a thickness substantially the same as the diameter of the eye or bight portion formed by the wire portions 15 and 16, may efiectively be gripped.

The gripping action is provided by the relative spring action of the loop 19 and the presser wire ends 11 and 12 along the approximate path indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. Since the entire paper clip is constructed of relatively springy material, the ends 11 and 12, with the intermediate, clasp arm portions 13 and 14 act about an effective center in the bight or eye portions 15 and 16 which varies somewhat, but which extends generally between the upper and lower planes of the clip. Thus, as in Fig. 2, the material 20 is grasped mainly by the presser ends 11 and 12 which confine it securely against the entire periphery of the loop 19. In this manner, the application of force is limited to an area of the paper somewhat removed from the outer edge 21 thereof. It will be clear that the portions 17, 18, 15, 16, and the portions of the intermediate sections 13 and 14 adjacent the bight portions 15 and 16, do not contact effectively the paper material, at least to the extent of applying any significant force thereto. Instead, the paper lying within the bight or eye of the paper clip is guided in that position by the eye and prevented from assigning any paper-disfiguring position. In any event, it is manifest that no force tending to urge the clip off the paper, or to force the paper 20 outwardly from between the grasping portions of the paper clip is present.

In view of the fact that the forces of retention applied by the paper clip of my invention have no components tending to urge the paper from between the grasping portions of the paper clip, the paper clip is extremely effec tive in holding large thicknesses of material. It has been found that thicknesses of material up to the thickness of the eye of the paper clip may be maintained in the clip over long periods of time even though the papers are moved or shuffled during use.

It will be noted that, unlike the prior art paper clips, the paper 20 is supp'orted'adjacent its edge 21 by the portions 19b of the loop 19 so that the paper is provided with a concavity underneath the ends 11 and 12. This depression or dimple tends to retain the paper frictionally interlockingly in its clipped position in the loop 19 and resist movement of the paper in any direction relative to the clip. Further, in view of the extension of the ends 11 and 12 into substantially the same plane as the loop 19, the paper clip is capable of holding a minimum number of thin sheets such as shown in Fig. 4. In such a situation, the application of force is substantially identical to that shown in Fig. 2 except, of course, only the extremity 11 and 12 of the wire actually contact the upper surface of the paper 20. However, as in the case shown in Fig. 2, the lowermost portion of the paper 20 is supported at all points around the end portions 11 and 12, and the application of force by the ends 11 and 12 is agan, along the line indicated by the arrow and hence has no component tending to urge the papers 20 from between the paper clip grasping portions.

A modified form of the paper clip of the present invention is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 where the loop 19, the ends 11 and 12, the outwardly extending intermediate portions 13 and 14, and the bight 15 and 16 are the same as those shown in Fig. 1 through 5. However, the inwardly extending intermediate portions 17 and 18 are, as shown at 18a in Figs. 6 and 7, deflected downwardly slightly from the plane of the loop 19. This slight downward deformation has the advantage of deflecting the portion 22 of the paper 20 immediately adjacent the outer edge 21 thereof downwardly beyond the outer periphery of the loop 19. The downward deflection at the edge of the paper positively insures that the dimpled portion of the paper 20 underneath the ends 11 and 12 of the wire clip and within the area of the loop 19 will maintain the paper snugly in the paper clip. As may be seen from Fig. 7, downward deflection against the portions 17a and 18a is caused 'by the inner surfaces 13a and 14a of the portions 13 and 14 acting against the uppermost sheet of paper 20. This causes a deflection having a slope opposite to that of the paper at its upper dimpled portion, thus tending to increase the resistance of the paper against movement out of the clip.

Application of the paper clips of either modified form to a sheaf of papers is extremely simple and may be effected by resiliently flexibly separating the opposed clasp structures since the ends of the wire 11 and 12 may be pushed upwardly away from the loop 19 by the thumb while the portions 190 and 19d are maintained against movement by the first and second fingers of the users hand. This operation is shown in Fig. 8 wherein the thumb 25 is shown urging the portion 13 upwardly away from the portion of the loop 199 which is urged downwardly by the second finger 26 of the users hand. In

' Figure 8 the loop 19 is shown in cross-section at the portion 19a and the first finger of the hand, which is pressed against the portion 19d, is therefore not shown, in order that the relationship between the fingers and the paper clip may be more clearly shown.

It is to be understood that the paper clip of the present invention may be made in various sizes both as to the dirnensions ofthe loop 19, and as to the length of the bight portions 15 and 16. Further, while a generally circular shaped loop has been shown in the drawings, it is understood that the loop 19 may be generally polygonal or even somewhat irregular in shape if so desired. Also, the loop 19 may, if desired, be formed with projections or ripples, thereby leaving the loop only substantially flat rather than purely so. However, the purely flat circular shape permits the maximum contact between the paper and the loop 19, and in most situations that shape has been found entirely satisfactory and is preferred.

In constructing the paper clip of the present invention it is preferred that the material utilized have a spring characteristic. Nevertheless, it is to be understood that the wire need not be exceptionally high grade and the material ordinarily used for paper clips now generally on the market is satisfactory since its residual spring is sufficient to prevent permanent deformation under ordinary usage. However, it is also contemplated that paper clips constructed according to the present invention may be made of material having a very high elastic limit, such as, for example, piano wire or the like, such that the clips may be used indefinitely without permanent deformation, and hence with maximum efficiency.

While various modifications have been pointed out above it will be understood that further variations and modifications may be made in the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. A paper clip formed from a length of Wire into a pair of opposed spring clasp structures; one of said clasp structures comprising a substantially flat split-ring-like loop having disjointed closely adjacent end portions providing generally radially outwardly projecting extensions from the loop in side-by-side relation, said extensions together aflording the second clasp structure and for this purpose having a return bend at a substantial distance from the loop toward one side of the plane of the loop and defining respective clasp arms spaced from the loop attached radially outwardly projecting parts of the extensions and angled toward the inside of said loop with the free ends of said arms constituting presser formations normally extending into the central area within said loop,

said clasp structures being resiliently flexibly separable and adapted to receive papers or the like therebetween, to overlie the loop and extensions, and be clamped thereagainst by said presser formations dimpling and frictionally interlocking the same into the loop.

2. A paper clip as defined in claim 1, wherein said radially outwardly projecting loop-attached parts of the extensions lie in substantially a common plane with the loop.

3. A paper clip as defined in claim 1, wherein said radially outwardly projecting loop-attached parts of the extensions are angled slightly away from the plane of the loop toward the opposite side of the loop plane from said clasp arms for thereby causing similar angular deflection of the portions of papers lying against said extension parts and increasing the resistance of the papers to movement out of the clip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 25,703 Rothert June 1896 464,499 Grenelle Dec. 8, 1891 469,590 Palmer Feb. 23, 1892 527,500 McCoole Oct. 16, 1894 753,614 McGill Mar. 1, 1904 767,792 Broughton Aug. 16, 1904 871,888 Porter Nov. 26, 1907 1,646,747 Costa Oct. 25, 1927 

